A photo of some of the cocoa farmers protesting
Some cocoa farmers from the Western North Region have picketed at the Headquarters of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) in Accra on Friday, February 20, 2026, over falling producer prices and delayed payments.
The farmers clad in red, carried placards and chanted slogans accusing the government of failing to protect their livelihoods.
They are demanding an urgent upward review of the cocoa producer price and the settlement of outstanding payments owed to them by Licensed Buying Companies operating under COCOBOD’s supervision.
“The prices were not reduced under the previous regimes; why is this administration reducing it. We have no problem with the government, they should just leave the prices to remain the same,” a frustrated farmer stated.
According to the farmers, delays in payment and the recent downward adjustment in cocoa prices have impacted negatively on their livelihoods.
They are struggling to meet their basic needs, pay the school fees of their wares, they explained.
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The government has reduced the cocoa producer price for the remainder of the 2025/2026 crop season, citing a sharp fall in world market prices.
Announcing the decision at a press conference on Thursday, February 12, 2026, the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, said the Producer Price Review Committee (PPRC), under his chairmanship, approved a new producer price of GH¢41,392 per tonne and GH¢2,587 per bag, effective immediately.
Dr Forson explained that the adjustment follows a significant decline in the international price of cocoa, which has dropped from an average of US$7,200 per tonne to about US$4,100 per tonne.
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He noted that the development has made Ghana’s cocoa uncompetitive and created liquidity challenges for COCOBOD.
Although COCOBOD has released payments to Licensed Buying Companies to facilitate farmer payments, many producers say they are yet to receive any payment at the farmgate level.
Watch the video below:
Angry cocoa farmers storm the Ghana Cocoa Board headquarters in Accra, demanding an immediate reversal of cocoa producer prices to last year’s rate. pic.twitter.com/QNMFZrv98e
— Truth 🌍 (@Truth_Hub7) February 20, 2026
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